Apparatus for removing flexible cores such as air bags from tire covers



1932- H. wiLLsHAw ET AL 1,871,642

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING FLEXIBLE CORES SUCH AS AIR BAGS F R OM TIRE COVERS Filed March 31, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 16, 1932; w s w ET L 1,871,642

APPARATUSFOR REMOVING FLEXIBLE CORES SUCH AS AIR BAGS FROM TIRE COVERS Filed March 31, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 /NVENTO H5 MM W H. WILLSHAW ET AL Aug. 16, 1932.

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING FLEXIBLE CORES SUCH AS AIR BAGS FROM TIRE COVERS Filed March 31, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet I5 N VEN T0195 Aug 1932- H. WILLSHAW ET AL 1,871,642

IBLE CORES SUCH AS AIR BAGS FROM TIRE COVERS APPARATUS FOR REMOVING FLEX 4 Sheds-Sheet 4 Filed March 51, 1951 //V VE/V T0195 Patented Aug. 16, 1932 V HAMSTEAD, BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND;

LIMITED, LA BRITISH CORPORATION ArPAnAT'ns non REMOVINGFLEXIBLE co Application filed n rehei, 1931", Serial No This invention concerns improvements apparatus for removing flexible cores or air bags from tire covers.

V 1 It is COIHIDOILPIiLCtlCB at the present time" to use flexible cores to sustain pneumatic tire covers from within during the period of vulcanization within the mould, such ores commonly taking the form ofair bags.

7 It will be apparentthat the larger size of tires such as the ballon and tires of the giant type generally are difiicult to handle and that manual separation of the beads at each edge ofthe inner divided periphery of such'tires entails considerable efiort by those employed ma'nually to insert or to remove the cores,

particularly'when reinforced with inextensi:

ble members imbedded therein.

In one form .of apparatus proposed for, stripping covers from flexible cores it has been proposed to separate the beads more or less locallyvby a member having a pair of V movable fingers, each of which engages one of the beads at that point.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide apparatus characterized in thatthe',

membe'rswhich engage the beads are self adjusting to the beads of covers (if dissimilar diameter, and furthermore that they separate the beads insubstantially parallel-relation goaround the whole of the internal periphery of the cover;

According to thisiinvention we provide ap-J paratus for removing flexible cores such as air bags from tire covers comprising a "plurality of similar linkages actuated by movable means common to-eachso as to engage a bead at a plurality of points, and in which the continued actuatio'nlof the linkages sep' arates the beads in'parallel relation; I

In orderthat our invention may be more 'machine;

AssIsNoRs To DUNLoP" RUBBER COMPANY UNITED T oar- 8315:

HARRY WILLSHAVLDF SUTTON COLDFIELD, AND LEOIYIZAIBQD SIN'NE-TI BLANCI-IARD, "OF

ans Sw nsea Bass rnoi/rmrnn covnns 526 ,66 1 and in Greatfiritain April 4, 1930.

Fig; 4 is a part side elevation of air bag" I extracting apparatus; Fig. 5 is a part plan shown in Fig. 4.

a vertical member 5 from which radiate four members '6 the outer ends of which are pro vided with spacing members 6a to which are attachedyt-he members? between which part of the mechanism operates. v

The convergent ends" of the members 7 to the members 5 and-5a of the frame 4 by suitable tie bars 9 and nuts 9a. 1

From the general arrangement shown in Figs. land 2 it will be" apparent that four identical groups of parallel linkages diverge" symmetrically from a horizontal line passing through'the centre of the boss 8. One of admitted to the cylinder 20 by a port 10 taking with it the'piston rod 12. Tothe free which is pivoted at 14: to a' bell crank' 15.

'Thebell crank 15 may thus be given angrllar displacementabout the pivotld the ends; ofwhich 'are setin two parallel spaced-'n'iem' bus 17, only one of which is shown in Fig- 3, where the frame member 7 is broken away to: enable the clearlyrli.

The members 011 a suitable base 1 are positioned uprights 2 carrying aplatform'3. Upon the platform" 3'is secured a framework i'having atone side are secured to a' boss 8 and thetiiangulated structure so formed is positioned and secured whereupon the piston 11 moves to theright end or head of the piston rod is pivotedby one end a connectingrod 13 the inner end of view of the apparatus H 7 these linkages andbead engagingmembera is showii'to a-greater scale in Fig.3. From this figure it will be seen that fluid may be 1. member 17 to be seen more 17 are slid-ablein the mem-l V bers Tand-ar'e joined at their upper and 5 lower ends by guide plates 18 and'19 .which guide; them; in sliding engagementwith the members 7. The members 17 and'with them;

the bell crank- 15 slide downwardlyas a whole 1 when the resistance to the turning of the bell 5 crank isgreater than the resistance, tothe,

sliding of these members.

.Thepairs of members 17 are atone end'with-projecting webs 17 a andthese form 7 that side ofeach parallel linkage which may be conveniently called the inner side. Be-' tween the ends of these webs 17a is pivoted at 51 a link 21 which is again pivoted at 22 as shown in Fig. 3 to the outermost link member 23, both the members 21 and 23 being movable within limitsbetween the members 17 which slide up and down between members 7. The pivot 24 connects the member 23 to the bell crank. and completes the parallelogram formed by the r linkage. I

A spring load is applied to the member 23 by a spring 25 one end of which is conveniently' attached to "a peg 25apassing 2 parallel linkages,

inn b n of he. t e e g g d by a through the outer 23, theother end being made fastto the member 6 where it is fastened to the channel member 6a. 7 a r The member 23 is extended, beyond the Pivots-24 do th gex n n 2 on -e a bracket '27 the free end of whiohcontains a p vot28 hi supp rts e semble arm 2 the preferred construction of which; is shown;

in detail in Fig. 3. from which it will beseen th t the .n 2 m y be tated n iol wise about the pivot 28 but is prevented by a 7 uit ble st p. 0 m o nggfn th r n a clockwise direction than the position shown.

To the tip of the arm ,9 is attacheda hook 1 n of fo b .e se gmelnb swh are moved bythe outer links of the several inner bead engaging hooks 32 which are secured to the slides 18. Movement of the linkages therefore causes simultaneous move en s n o h h be e si gmeinb rs 31 d 32, o 1 re own n F g! 31 A va 3 ofk n yp maybe po ion d a r pe a in any con n e -mann r b pedal pres i of theipedal on. on

end causing fluid to fiowthroughthe pipe 35 r (F g- 2) to one n ofthe y n r' t r ug the port 10z z', depression of the other end of the pedal admitting fluid through another pipe 35;; totheportlO at the opposite end of he ey inden Prior to use the operative. throws hook ended arm 29 so that thisdepends from the, pivot 28 and gives spacefor access to the inner bead engaging members; 32. The tire is thenlifted and lowered so that it is supported by that bead engaging member' not shown in Fig. 3 which'is above and 0p posite to that shown at 32. The linkages are so proportioned to the range of' tires to be 7 operated upon by the machine that the'srnall- I the least diameter acrossfthe beads of the a ead i' teo the cyli er eho tn nF g-fies't diameter across thejbead engagingniem bers, that is when they are centred, is less than range of tires from which the deflated core rte n Expansion t t e. equired diameter is effected auwmfitifially'as follows;

Qn admitting pressure fluid to the cylinder y the port 1 th P et n noo ed otfie ig The connecting rod 13 is pivoted to. the head of the piston rod at 36; the movement of the piston rod therefore causes the connecting rod 13 to move substantially in the.

direction of its own length and to turn the bell crank 15 through an angle about its pivot 16. r

r" The outer ends of the members 15 and 21' consequently move to the left and at the same time the member 23 moves to the left i s mov tby th pr ng 2 A t p 23arfastenedt o the, outer link 23 limits the I return; movement of the link 23 to the right 0 by engaging'the member'7. 2

Contact betweenthe outer link 23 andthe sliding guide 19 is thuseflected and the guide- 19 is pushed down the member/Z, thus pulls This being' so, the inner circle of books 32 have movedinto contact; with one of the inexv tenslble-beads atfour points and so hold the tire definitely by one head, in a certainposition. The membersl8 are now preventedfrom moving, which'has the effect of causing the linkage to 16 [The movemeritv of the piston mambo: the i move about the fixed pivot point cylinder being continued, the outer end ofthe lever 15 .forming partof the bell crank s moved tothe left and carries with it the hook 31;, and-thisengagesthe inner surface of the outer head. Theinner vbead is thus 1 automatically engaged, lil'lQjQlltGlf bead semin omnti l yiens ge and. t a re' nt nn ea yi n mte n p all l relatiol The'beads of the tire, now separated, eX;

pose thecore which may be removed manually with suitable tire levers.

Whilewe may partly dislodge the 'core I manually, we prefer to associate with themachine before describedaddit-ional mechasnisinto replace the manual labour otherwise req-uiredto complete, theoperation. 1

In Figs. 4

which the apparatus may-take. A

On ahorizontal plane substantially coins cid-ing with the plane of the pistonrod is care 1 v ried a pair of spacedparallelgirders 38v.car v ried on uprights 5'0 and supporting between them a cylinder 39 with apiston 4Q of known type actuated. by valyesin known manner,

the piston rod head $5 beingattached to a cage 41*provided with an axle 42- having guide wheels 43, 4 W ioh upp the o n parative-ly lengthy piston rodi'when travel-- and v 5; :we illustrate oneform 1 2b 7 m? and drops slightly in so doing, being assisted ling to and from its fully extended position, and prevent it being strained by variations in the directioninwhich the pulling force is applied to the core.

To the axle 42 is pivotally' connected a rod or link46 the free end of which is provided with a hook 48 and a detachable fabric or other band 49 which may be passed around the partly withdrawn core 47 in the manner diagrammatically shown.

The travelhng carriage or cage guides 43 and 44 in con unct1on with the free .vertical space between theluprights 50 permits any part of the core to be chosen, as may be convenient, for the attachment of the band '49, so that the core may be pulled out from either side or from the top or the bottom of the separated beads by retraction of the pis- Having now particularly described andascertained the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is z 1. Apparatus of the type described which 73 comprises pairs of tire head engaginghooks at intervals spaced about a circle, transmission linkages for said pairs of hooks to displace the hooks of each pair radially outwardly and'then to displace them in an axial c direction, common actuating mechanism for actuating said mechanism simultaneously, said transmission linkage comprising a slidable member, a bell crank lever pivoted thereon and having one arm connected to said common actuating means, a link mounted on said i then to displace them in an axial direction,

slidable member, and a frame member connected to the other end of said bell crank lever and to said link, one hook of said pair being mounted on said frame member and the otheron said slidable member.

2; Apparatus of the type described which" comprises pairs of tire bead engaginghooks at intervals spaced about a circle, transmission linkages for said pairs of hooks to displace the hooks of each pair radially outwardly and common actuating mechanism for actuating said mechanism simultaneously, said trans mission linkage comprising a slidable member, a hell crank lever pivoted thereon, a link mounted on said slidable member, and a frame member connected to the other end of said bell crank lever and to said link, a hinged member carrying one of said hooks and pivotally mounted on said frame member to swing outwardly, and astop to limit its inward swing, the other hook of said pairbeing mounted on said slidable member.

3. Apparatus of the type described which comprises pairs of tire beadengaging hooks at circularly placed intervals, a parallel link motion mechanism carrying one hook'of said pair'and actuated to give said hook amotion to and from the other hook of said pair, and V a slidable member supporting said linkage and said other hook of said'pair and slidable to give said hooks a radially outward motion; V

4,. Apparatus of the type described which comprises pairs of tire bead engaging hooks at circularly placed intervals, a parallel link motion mechanism carrying one hook of said pair and actuated to give said hook a motion to and from the other hook of said pair, a

slidable member supporting said linkage and 41 with its said other hook of said pair and slidable to give said hooks a radially outward motion, and a common driving mechanism for the link and sliding elements of said pairs'of 'hooks. v

5. Apparatus of the type described which comprises pairs of tire, bead engaging hooks at circularly placed intervals, a parallel link motion mechanism carrying one hook of said pair and actuated to give SilldllOOk a motion to. and from the other hook of said pair, a

slidable member supporting said linkage and said other hook of said pair and slidable to give said hooks a radially outward motion, and means for resiliently drawing said link mechanism in a direction radially outward 1alndkaxially in a direction toward the opposite 6. Apparatus of the type described which comprises pairs of tire bead engaging hooks at circularly placed intervals, a parallel link motion mechanism carrying one hook of said pair and actuated to give said hook a motion 7 to and from the other hook of said pair, a slidable member supporting said linkage and said other hookof said pair and slidable to linkage and in a position diagonal to the I parallelogram formed by said linkage, a sliding member carrying said linkage, a. pair of hooks one connected to said sliding member and the other to said linkage, and means for actuating said sliding member andsaid link- 7 age tov move said hooks radially outwardly 1 and to separate them axially.

' In witness whereof we have hereunto signed our names. HARRY WILLSHAW. I V LEONARD SINNETT BLANCHARD. 

